Mamata Banerjee Falsely Blamed The Indian Army, And Army Silenced Her With Proof

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to nearly everything the Modi-led government at the Centre does is well known. She, like other leaders of the Opposition, is against the demonetisation drive launched by the Modi government to target black money holders and counterfeiters.

This time, however, Mamata Banerjee crossed a line that no politician of the country either has the right to or the moral competency for.

Banerjee questioned the intentions of the Indian Army and tried to project the force as a coup plotter in a series of tweets posted late on Thursday, December 1.

Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, inspite of Police objection 1/2

By claiming that she was defending “democracy”, Mamata categorically stated that the Army was behaving in an undemocratic manner.

In fact reports quote Mamata saying, “This is a military coup.” Now that is a very serious accusation against a force respected across the world for NEVER superseding the authority of the Parliament of the country.

Trinamool Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien questioned whether the Army deployment was a plan (by the Centre) to start an “internal war”.

The truth is that the Indian Army had launched its annual vehicle data collection exercise across the nine states under the Eastern Command. Army men were seen checking vehicles at toll plazas in Bengal and other states where the exercise was on.

The Eastern Command responded on its Twitter handle clarifying that the exercise was being undertaken in the following states:

West Bengal is not a state of the northeast but Kolkata is the headquarters of the Eastern Command, and the state itself is part of the Eastern Theatre comprising nine states which the Command is responsible for.

The Indian Army also said that the Bengal government had full knowledge of the exercise and was informed by the Army.

Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect @adgpi

On Saturday, the Indian Army released letters totally shattering the false accusations of Mamata Banerjee, her party and her supporters in the political spectrum.

It should be noted here that West Bengal and states in the northeast which share a border with Bangladesh act as transit points of influx of fake currency in India. Though the army exercise was routine in nature, the objection of the Bengal government itself is questionable especially because of the fact that the state is increasingly becoming a hub of fundamentalists and criminals who grow opium (as in Malda) without fear of the law.

It should also be noted here that this is not the first time that Mamata Banerjee has accused national security forces. She had accused the BSF for the Kaliachak riots in which a mob of Islamic radicals burned down a police station and torched vehicles.

Her opposition to the demonetisation – a government policy – is justified under a democracy, but Mamata’s deliberate attempt at maligning the image of the Army is completely unwarranted.